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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Lunch box police

321 replies

BackToBeingMe · 07/11/2018 09:29

Just had a phone call from school and asked if I could go in for a chat regarding dd lunch. She is 6 and in year 2, being in key stage 1 she gets universal free school meals which she has everyday apart from Wednesday. Wednesday is always a roast and the gravy the meat is cooked in gives her an upset stomach. I am irritated as the teacher has looked in dd lunch bag this morning which I feel is out of order if I'm total honest. So the offending item which she has had the last few Wednesday's as there is 10 in a pack is a mini Pick Up Bar. Photo attached for size she has just the 1 biscuit not the 3 that is the actual serving size. Along with the pick up she has a cheese and ham mini wrap with lettuce, cucumber and red onion in, 6 cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, a pot of hummus and grapes which are cut into 1/4s. I was a bit taken aback just now on the phone so didn't say much at all, now I need to know what to say at by meeting this afternoon. I would seriously think the school had more to worry about than a flamming fun size biscuit. For back ground we moved into this area recently and dd has only been at the school since the September and such rule was mentioned during induction day in July.

Lunch box police
Lunch box police
Lunch box police
OP posts:
AwdBovril · 07/11/2018 10:32
Grin
Grumpyrealist77 · 07/11/2018 10:34
Biscuit
BumsexAtTheBingo · 07/11/2018 10:35

I would tell them that once they have moved to being a chocolate free school you’ll be happy to comply with the new rules.

strawberrisc · 07/11/2018 10:35

I work in a school and I blame Jamie Oliver. Totally disgusting. I used to have sandwiches (on white bread), crisps, a chocolate bar, a yoghurt and a drink.

You're not in the wrong.

BackToBeingMe · 07/11/2018 10:36

The website doesn't mention anything about allergens and banned ingredients. So I might actually use this opportunity to discuss my other dc that is at the school that has an epi pen due to an allergy to honey. Not out of pettiness over the biscuit but to get a better understanding of there allergy policy.

OP posts:
tiggerkid · 07/11/2018 10:36

Some schools seem quite strict on lunch boxes and then go dish out sponge and custard, cookies and cake for puddings.

This was exactly the case at my son's primary. After they lectured me on his bottle of water with a little bit of squash in it, they gave him cakes at lunch. He found out about sponge and custard at school for the first time because I never used to give it to him before then!

Gileswithachainsaw · 07/11/2018 10:37
Hmm

What a waste of everyone's time .

smithsally884 · 07/11/2018 10:37

the cakes and custard servrd for school lunch are dairy and sugar free.

In our LEA the legal bods have advised schools not to look in kids lunch boxes as it might consitute an illegal search

OoohSmooch · 07/11/2018 10:38

Please stand your ground on this, I can't believe the teacher and the school has time for this. I'm actually lost for words.

AwdBovril · 07/11/2018 10:39

I always wondered how they could get the school puddings so bland tasting. Custard & gravy that tasted of very little, & sponge that appeared to be artificially coloured - as there can't have been much cocoa powder in it, it didn't taste of anything!

My DD's school dinners used to be very good, but they've recently lost their head cook & just promoted one of the kitchen staff... who can't cook. Terrible now. DD regularly comes home absolutely ravenous. Sad

BackToBeingMe · 07/11/2018 10:40

OhSmooch I was the same, now annoyed with myself that I didn't speak up on the phone and have to waste mine and everyone else's time with this rubbish.

OP posts:
Lewknor · 07/11/2018 10:43

They will want to see you because this product contains Hazelnuts? (look at the ingredients)?

Lewknor · 07/11/2018 10:44

If they have children who are anaphylatic to nuts this product could be dangerous

SnuggyBuggy · 07/11/2018 10:45

It makes it harder to take teachers seriously when they talk about time constraints and then they waste time calling people in for pointless meetings like this

Lewknor · 07/11/2018 10:45

@SnuggyBuggy this product has ground hazelnuts in it. If the school is nut free, I totally understand why they want to speak to the OP

SnuggyBuggy · 07/11/2018 10:46

Well you don't need a meeting for that, a phone call would do

festivelyfoolish · 07/11/2018 10:46

threads like these make me glad I live in Scotland, they don't police packed lunches where I am at least! My DD often gets a snacked sized amount of dark chocolate (which has proven health benefits), blanket bans on foodstuffs are senseless and also foster people to think of food as a reward/naughty/banned rather than everything in moderation.

veecheesio · 07/11/2018 10:46

Is crisps frowned upon then? DD fussy, but I put fruit, and yoghurt and a sandwich in there, no gak, but crisps. Feel bad now! Although she's like a whippet, full of beans (quite literally) and growing like a weed.

Kool4katz · 07/11/2018 10:47

They don’t have the authority to police lunch boxes so I’d be telling them that very firmly and I’d refuse to waste my time going in.
My DC doesn’t eat at school so I give him breadsticks and a bottle of water every day which always return uneaten/not drunk. No school dinners where we live but he wouldn’t eat them anyway.
He eats breakfast and will eat later on but doesn’t have a big appetite, just like me when I was his age.

bigKiteFlying · 07/11/2018 10:48

Sound like a good plan then to talk about the schools policies for your DS .

It could be anything - DD1 was told off for having too large a slice of fruit cake - it was home made no fat and most but not all of the sugar from the dried fruit. The teacher has to mention it because a fairly new lunch time supervisor had flagged it up but agreed it wasn't a large slice - DD1 got to eat in on the way home.

dogzdinner · 07/11/2018 10:50

If the school have managed to create a healthy chocolate cake and custard please ask them for the recipe!

WorraLiberty · 07/11/2018 10:50

They do have the authority to police lunchboxes though, that's the problem.

Just as they have the authority to see that any school rule isn't broken

bluetrampolines · 07/11/2018 10:51

Don't know if it has been said but if work out the sugar/fat content in a portion of custard and be able to compare it that biscuit.

Let them speak and speak until thry are struggling for reasons why you are there. Then ask them why the custard is acceptable?

DarlingNikita · 07/11/2018 10:52

No way would I schlep into school for a meeting about this shite.

They haven't communicated this rule and it's meaningless anyway if they serve chocolate cake with chocolate custard for school lunches Hmm

I'd put this all in a politely frosty email and forget about it.

LasMeninas · 07/11/2018 10:52

If it is about the chocolate, I would assume (or just strongly hope!) that the rule exists to stop fuss/drama between kids upon one seeing that another has chocolate and they don't, rather than because the school thinks they have the right to tell you what to feed your own child.

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